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Another student was victimized by an Army recruiter arrested on child porn charges, detective says

Posted at 4:45 PM, May 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-04 23:42:53-04

A second person has been identified by a detective as an alleged victim of an Army recruiter who worked with Dwyer High School and Martin County High School. 

The new alleged victim is a female now of age. But she was a minor from a Martin County school when she said she had interactions with Staff Sergeant Danilo Fernandez II, the Martin County detective said. 

According to the detective, she said it began with text messages and then Snapchat with inappropriate content.

Another female previously claimed Fernandez had sexual contact with her against her wishes when she was 17-years-old.

The FBI arrested Fernandez II in that case on charges of attempted production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Following his arrest law enforcement in both Martin and St. Lucie counties began interviewing students who came in contact with the Army sergeant.

In Martin County, the sheriff's office said deputies are trying to interview 75 people a day.

The Martin County School District released this statement:

"One of the most important responsibilities of the Martin County School District is to protect the safety and security of our students," says Laurie J. Gaylord, Superintendent of the Martin County School District. "Immediately after learning of the accusations against this individual—who is not and was not a district employee—we followed up with school administration and staff. As of now we are not aware of any incidents involving inappropriate contact with students, but we have and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement’s investigation."

According to the Army, Fernandez has been in the service since June 2001 and has been serving as a recruiter since June 2014 at the Jupiter Recruiting Station. The Army says he has worked with Dwyer High School and Martin County High School. 

The Army says it is cooperating with the investigation and Fernandez has been suspended from all recruiting duties during the investigation.